1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of mechanical and/or video wagering games, including multiple pay line video slot-type machines that are capable of producing certain winning combinations including, preferably, one or more progressive jackpot amounts.
2. Background of the Art
Competition in the gaming industry to attract a player and then retain the player's interest for protracted periods of time is an increasingly greater challenge. The environment in a casino is typically rich in stimulation, both auditory and visual. Consequently, it is an ongoing effort to attract a player to a given machine and then to subsequently encourage the player to stay at the machine based on the machine's game format and entertainment value.
Slot machines formed from a plurality of independently rotating reels, whether mechanical or video depictions of the mechanical reels, are traditional types of wagering games. Each physical reel has a reel strip around its circumference, on which are designated indicia. The circular reel is presented to the player so that the indicia on the strip show through a window on the machine's front. The player receives awards when combinations of predetermined indicia, especially related indicia that are oriented on a pay line, appear as a result of the wagered spin of the reels. Some machines also provide for a large jackpot or progressive jackpot that can produce potentially life-changing awards.
Such slot machines have evolved from having a single horizontal pay line centrally disposed on the reel to having a plurality of pay lines. Some of these pay lines are located horizontally, some vertically, some diagonally, others in corners and/or non-linear patterns. The most common pay lines have been provided as a) three symbols in a linear pattern taken from sets of frames on reels having 3 columns and 3 rows, or b) subsets of 3 to 5 symbols in a row taken from a set of three rows and five columns. The 3 rows by 5 column main game configuration is most typically known as a multiline game.
Winning combinations on the traditional 3-reel machines are easily recognized, but the setup itself discourages multiple pay lines. Conversely, the 3-row×5-column configuration allows for multiple pay lines, but the winning combinations can be confusing and difficult to read. It is a challenge to provide new game play that would produce multiple wins, yet easily recognized wins. The frequency of “hits” on the traditional 3-reel machines can also be problematic. In most cases, the end result of a wagered 3-reel game is either a win worth at least the same as the wager, or a total loss of the wager, so the player may play many losing games in a row without experiencing a true winning event, increasing the total credits held by the player, or a smaller win event that reduces the rate of loss of credits. It would be desirable to have a simple-to-understand pay line system which can also provide more frequent “hits”, even if these are wins that are less than the amount of wager. Smaller wins can give the player more time on the machine, which translates to more revenue for the casino. In addition, new techniques are needed to provide the player with jackpot opportunities, including multiple, varied jackpot awards.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,694 titled GAMING DEVICE WITH ROTATING DISPLAY AND INDICATOR THEREFORE; U.S. Pat. No. 6,599,193 titled PROGRESSIVE GAMING DEVICE; U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,877 titled SLOT MACHINE USING PERIPHERAL GEARS ENGAGED BY MULTIPLE DRIVE SYSTEMS; U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,523 titled BONUS AWARD FEATURE IN A GAMING MACHINE; U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,115 titled GAMING METHOD AND APPARATUS HAVING A PROPORTIONAL PAYOUT; U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,962 titled ROTATING DISKS SLOT MACHINE; U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,921 titled ELECTRONIC AMUSEMENT DEVICE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A GAME OFFERING CONTINUOUS REELS; and Published U.S. Patent Applications 20030045345 titled GAMING METHOD AND APPARATUS IMPLEMENTING A HIERARCHICAL DISPLAY GRID AND DYNAMICALLY GENERATED PAYLINES; 20030181231 titled PROGRESSIVE GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD HAVING FRACTIONAL AWARDS; 20030216166 titled METHOD OF OPERATING A PROGRESSIVE GAMING DEVICE; 20030220134 titled APPARATUS HAVING MOVABLE DISPLAY AND METHODS OF OPERATING SAME; 20030236116 titled SLOT MACHINE GAME HAVING A PLURALITY OF WAYS TO ISSUE A PERCENTAGE OF A PROGRESSIVE AWARD BASED UPON ANY WAGER LEVEL (“PERCENTAGE PROGRESSIVE”); 20040053687 titled GAMING DEVICE HAVING DISPLAY WITH MULTIPLE RADIALLY TRANSLATING INDICATORS; 20040157659 titled SLOT GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD; 20040171417 titled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING A SYMBOL ON A WHEEL ASSOCIATED WITH A GAMING APPARATUS; and 20040180716 titled GAMING DISPLAY WITH MOVEABLE INDICATOR AND METHODS OF USE describe various formats and games played on gaming apparatus, including slot-type gaming apparatus and video gaming apparatus.
Although there are many varieties of games available, there is room for new games and games that provide additional goals desired by players and casinos.